Jeff, thanks for your comments on my recent piece, "'All Lives Matter.' Yes, But ..." and for calling my attention to this article.

I agree the cause of combating systemic racism is served by protesting but not by rioting and looting. I'm hoping there will be a progression from protesting to doing the hard work of hammering out solutions that rely heavily on making our institutions of government--legislative, executive, and judicial--work again to serve our extremely diverse nation.

Years ago I heard Jesse Jackson say America is not so much a melting pot as it is a stew pot. He meant we're all together in the same pot, but like vegetables, broth, and meat, we retain our separate identities. If the American experiment is done correctly, like a good stew, we can all add to the flavor of the dish to make it better than any single ingredient.

I think children have a lot to teach us in their innocence and openness to other people. As we age and start to experience economic and social realities, some of us decide on a "me against the world" ethic. I'm afraid a sizable portion of us, generation after generation, will decide we have to "look out for Number One" instead of choosing to be more magnanimous. I'd like to believe this tension will subside, but I don't. Just as the poor will always be with us, so will the jerks and the money grabbers.

Still, I believe the arc of history bends toward justice. I hope I'm doing my small part to make that happen, and I hope I'm teaching my children and grandchildren to be arc benders as well.

Thanks for doing your part too.